Italy rolls out booking systems and caps for popular beaches amid overtourism

Going to Italy this summer? You might need to book the beach

La Pelosa beach in Sardinia is one of the many Italian beaches that require travellers to pre-book (Picture: Getty Images) Planning a last-minute getaway to Italy’s beautiful coast? You might want to think again, or at least prepare in advance, because the latest onslaught of overtourism has left the country no choice but to do something drastic. It has rolled out booking systems for some of its most popular beaches. From Sardinia to Lampedusa, the southernmost island, beaches are capping the number of people allowed to visit at a single time. The hope is that this unprecedented move will help to tackle overcrowding and reduce pressure on the environment. So, how does it work? In most cases, visitors will need to head to their beach of choice’s local website, and book a spot online. Many systems provide a QR code to produce on arrival, so on the day, make sure your phone has enough juice. Last year, it was announced that Tuerredda Beach in Sardinia was planning to launch its own app due to how many were visiting. Tuerredda Beach is so popular there were talks of its own app (Picture: Getty Images) Slots are snapped up fast, so even if there’s no requirement to book a specific amount of time in advance (some require 48-hour notice), it’s wise to plan ahead. For example, anyone hoping to score an afternoon on La Pelosa beach in Sardinia — famed for its powdery white sand and shallow, Caribbean-like waters — you’re out of luck. That’s because the 1,500-capped beach, which costs €3.50 (£2.99) to enter, is booked out until September 15. The same goes for Cala Goloritzé, another Sardinian beach recently capped at 250 visitors by the mayor. At the time of writing, this UNESCO-protected beach — which actually requires a 90-minute trek through woods to get there — has no spaces left for the rest of July or the beginning of August. Normally, it costs €7 (£6) and can be booked up to three days in advance. @mimmomandrone Aprile nella perla di Stintino ❤️ #lapelosa #stintino #sardinia #sardegna ♬ audio originale – MimmoManDrone🚁🏄🏻‍♂️❤️ It’s not just bookings travellers need to be aware of, either. Some beaches also have time slots. Spiaggia dei Conigli on Lampedusa, a tranquil, cove-style beach that won the 2013 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for Beaches, has two sessions. The beach allows 550 people in both its morning and afternoon blocks. Why are these bookings necessary? Italy welcomes over 185 million tourists every year, making it one of the top five most visited countries in the world. In recent years, tourism numbers have risen significantly. The country recorded approximately 71.6 million tourist arrivals during the first quarter of 2026. This marked a 16% growth compared to the same period in 2025. Daniele Silvetti, the mayor of Ancona, on Italy’s east coast, told The Times that overtourism is making beach capping and booking ‘inevitable.’ ‘If you want to save these beaches and avoid closing them to the public you have got to cap the number of visitors.’ Lampedusa’s Spiaggia dei Conigli has two sessions per day (Picture: Getty Images) Sebastiano Venneri, a tourism official with Italy’s Legambiente environmental group, also told the outlet that the summer reservation scheme will hopefully convince travellers to visit during shoulder season. He said: ‘Something has to be done since the number of tourists globally is jumping from one billion in 2000 to an expected two billion in 2030.’ Referencing Sardinia’s La Pelosa beach, he added: ‘The Pelosa beach in Sardinia risks vanishing just by virtue of visitors removing sand on their towels.’ Meanwhile, Sardinian regional official Pierpaolo Fois warned that the ‘coast is facing the same kind of problem as Italy’s Dolomite mountains. ‘You get to the top of a mountain to find peace and nature and all you find is other people.’ The great Italian beach debate This isn’t the first time Italian beaches have hit headlines this year. Antonio Decaro, the Governor of Puglia, recently called for tourists and locals to be allowed to bring their own food and drinks to the beach. @minywander 🇮🇹 My FREE 7 day Puglia Itinerary including all of these places, how to get around, where to stay and day-by-day plan on the blog (www.minywander.com) From whitewashed hill towns and trulli villages to dramatic coastal cliffs, crystal clear beaches, and incredible food, Puglia in southern Italy has so much variety packed into one region. 🇮🇹 Places mentioned: 📍 Bari – A lively seaside city with a charming old town where you can see nonnas making pasta. 📍 Alberobello – Fairytale trullo houses and one of Italy’s most unique villages. 📍 Locorotondo – Peaceful whitewashed hill town with beautiful streets & panoramic countryside views. 📍 Cisternino – Charming village known for its picturesque alleys and butcher shop dining. 📍 Ostuni – Iconic “White City” perched on a hill overlooking endless olive groves. 📍 Polignano a Mare – Dramatic cliffside town with turquoise water and postcard worthy views. 📍 Monopoli – Colorful coastal town with a picturesque harbor and historic center. 📍 Lecce – Stunning Baroque city often called the “Florence of the South.” 📍 Otranto – Beautiful Adriatic town with crystal clear water and beaches. 📍 Porto Cesareo – Home to clearest turquoise water and best beaches in Puglia. You could easily spend weeks here, but I’ve come up with a detailed 7 day Puglia itinerary designed to take you through the region’s most beautiful towns and the best bases for the trip. The itinerary also includes Matera, which is not technically in Puglia but a short drive away and definitely worth adding to your trip. 📌 Save this post for your Puglia trip. 👉🏻 Follow @minywander for more travel inspo and tips! #puglia #italy #visitpuglia #pugliaitaly #pugliaitinerary Puglia itinerary. Southern Italy road trip. Best places to visit in Puglia. Whitewashed villages in Italy. Trulli houses. Ostuni Italy. Lecce travel guide. One week Puglia itinerary. ♬ The Fountain Garden – Hideaki Miyata Project The move has sparked debate between the Governor, residents, and Puglia’s exclusive beach clubs due to the mass privatisation of the country’s beaches. Private beach clubs, bars and restaurants are taking over the coastline, leaving locals with fewer free, public spaces. In recent years, the number of clubs has risen by 12%. Known as ‘stabilimento,’ customers pay a fee for sunbeds, umbrellas, food and drink, and use of the facilities. While they’re very much a part of Italian culture and were popularised by Italians, the privatisation has sparked widespread protests, with locals demanding their coastline be accessible to everyone. Puglia is another Italian region to face beach debates (Picture: Getty Images) Tamar Miller, founder of Italy Awaits Travel, has lots to say on this. She tells Metro that, post-Covid, Italy has been bombarded with tourists, and ‘what was once considered off the beaten path is now the new trend.’ For example, ‘Puglia is now a Mecca for Italian tourism, but because of its location, was historically not as frequented as other destinations like the Amalfi Coast. ‘Its charming beaches are now being capitalised on by business owners.’ Similarly, she says tourists are savvy and understand that they will spend money on holiday, with reservation fees and food costs part of the budget. However, the reality of both beach club privatisation and beach booking systems means that locals are losing their public beaches. Famous Italian beaches with booking systems • La Pelosa — Sardinia • Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu — Sardinia • Cala Goloritzé — Sardinia • Cala Violina Cala Goloritzé — Sardinia Tuscany • Spiaggia dei Conigli — Lampedusa • Baia del Silenzio — Italian Riviera • Due Sorelle — Ancona (also known as Two Sisters Beach, this area is protected and only accessible by sea. Therefore, access to the beach and your ferry must be booked in advance.) Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

3 hours ago

Going to Italy this summer? You might need to book the beach

La Pelosa beach in Sardinia is one of the many Italian beaches that require travellers to pre-book (Picture: Getty Images) Planning a last-minute getaway to Italy’s beautiful coast? You might want to think again, or at least prepare in advance, because the latest onslaught of overtourism has left the country no choice but to do something drastic. It has rolled out booking systems for some of its most popular beaches. From Sardinia to Lampedusa, the southernmost island, beaches are capping the number of people allowed to visit at a single time. The hope is that this unprecedented move will help to tackle overcrowding and reduce pressure on the environment. So, how does it work? In most cases, visitors will need to head to their beach of choice’s local website, and book a spot online. Many systems provide a QR code to produce on arrival, so on the day, make sure your phone has enough juice. Last year, it was announced that Tuerredda Beach in Sardinia was planning to launch its own app due to how many were visiting. Tuerredda Beach is so popular there were talks of its own app (Picture: Getty Images) Slots are snapped up fast, so even if there’s no requirement to book a specific amount of time in advance (some require 48-hour notice), it’s wise to plan ahead. For example, anyone hoping to score an afternoon on La Pelosa beach in Sardinia — famed for its powdery white sand and shallow, Caribbean-like waters — you’re out of luck. That’s because the 1,500-capped beach, which costs €3.50 (£2.99) to enter, is booked out until September 15. The same goes for Cala Goloritzé, another Sardinian beach recently capped at 250 visitors by the mayor. At the time of writing, this UNESCO-protected beach — which actually requires a 90-minute trek through woods to get there — has no spaces left for the rest of July or the beginning of August. Normally, it costs €7 (£6) and can be booked up to three days in advance. @mimmomandrone Aprile nella perla di Stintino ❤️ #lapelosa #stintino #sardinia #sardegna ♬ audio originale – MimmoManDrone🚁🏄🏻‍♂️❤️ It’s not just bookings travellers need to be aware of, either. Some beaches also have time slots. Spiaggia dei Conigli on Lampedusa, a tranquil, cove-style beach that won the 2013 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for Beaches, has two sessions. The beach allows 550 people in both its morning and afternoon blocks. Why are these bookings necessary? Italy welcomes over 185 million tourists every year, making it one of the top five most visited countries in the world. In recent years, tourism numbers have risen significantly. The country recorded approximately 71.6 million tourist arrivals during the first quarter of 2026. This marked a 16% growth compared to the same period in 2025. Daniele Silvetti, the mayor of Ancona, on Italy’s east coast, told The Times that overtourism is making beach capping and booking ‘inevitable.’ ‘If you want to save these beaches and avoid closing them to the public you have got to cap the number of visitors.’ Lampedusa’s Spiaggia dei Conigli has two sessions per day (Picture: Getty Images) Sebastiano Venneri, a tourism official with Italy’s Legambiente environmental group, also told the outlet that the summer reservation scheme will hopefully convince travellers to visit during shoulder season. He said: ‘Something has to be done since the number of tourists globally is jumping from one billion in 2000 to an expected two billion in 2030.’ Referencing Sardinia’s La Pelosa beach, he added: ‘The Pelosa beach in Sardinia risks vanishing just by virtue of visitors removing sand on their towels.’ Meanwhile, Sardinian regional official Pierpaolo Fois warned that the ‘coast is facing the same kind of problem as Italy’s Dolomite mountains. ‘You get to the top of a mountain to find peace and nature and all you find is other people.’ The great Italian beach debate This isn’t the first time Italian beaches have hit headlines this year. Antonio Decaro, the Governor of Puglia, recently called for tourists and locals to be allowed to bring their own food and drinks to the beach. @minywander 🇮🇹 My FREE 7 day Puglia Itinerary including all of these places, how to get around, where to stay and day-by-day plan on the blog (www.minywander.com) From whitewashed hill towns and trulli villages to dramatic coastal cliffs, crystal clear beaches, and incredible food, Puglia in southern Italy has so much variety packed into one region. 🇮🇹 Places mentioned: 📍 Bari – A lively seaside city with a charming old town where you can see nonnas making pasta. 📍 Alberobello – Fairytale trullo houses and one of Italy’s most unique villages. 📍 Locorotondo – Peaceful whitewashed hill town with beautiful streets & panoramic countryside views. 📍 Cisternino – Charming village known for its picturesque alleys and butcher shop dining. 📍 Ostuni – Iconic “White City” perched on a hill overlooking endless olive groves. 📍 Polignano a Mare – Dramatic cliffside town with turquoise water and postcard worthy views. 📍 Monopoli – Colorful coastal town with a picturesque harbor and historic center. 📍 Lecce – Stunning Baroque city often called the “Florence of the South.” 📍 Otranto – Beautiful Adriatic town with crystal clear water and beaches. 📍 Porto Cesareo – Home to clearest turquoise water and best beaches in Puglia. You could easily spend weeks here, but I’ve come up with a detailed 7 day Puglia itinerary designed to take you through the region’s most beautiful towns and the best bases for the trip. The itinerary also includes Matera, which is not technically in Puglia but a short drive away and definitely worth adding to your trip. 📌 Save this post for your Puglia trip. 👉🏻 Follow @minywander for more travel inspo and tips! #puglia #italy #visitpuglia #pugliaitaly #pugliaitinerary Puglia itinerary. Southern Italy road trip. Best places to visit in Puglia. Whitewashed villages in Italy. Trulli houses. Ostuni Italy. Lecce travel guide. One week Puglia itinerary. ♬ The Fountain Garden – Hideaki Miyata Project The move has sparked debate between the Governor, residents, and Puglia’s exclusive beach clubs due to the mass privatisation of the country’s beaches. Private beach clubs, bars and restaurants are taking over the coastline, leaving locals with fewer free, public spaces. In recent years, the number of clubs has risen by 12%. Known as ‘stabilimento,’ customers pay a fee for sunbeds, umbrellas, food and drink, and use of the facilities. While they’re very much a part of Italian culture and were popularised by Italians, the privatisation has sparked widespread protests, with locals demanding their coastline be accessible to everyone. Puglia is another Italian region to face beach debates (Picture: Getty Images) Tamar Miller, founder of Italy Awaits Travel, has lots to say on this. She tells Metro that, post-Covid, Italy has been bombarded with tourists, and ‘what was once considered off the beaten path is now the new trend.’ For example, ‘Puglia is now a Mecca for Italian tourism, but because of its location, was historically not as frequented as other destinations like the Amalfi Coast. ‘Its charming beaches are now being capitalised on by business owners.’ Similarly, she says tourists are savvy and understand that they will spend money on holiday, with reservation fees and food costs part of the budget. However, the reality of both beach club privatisation and beach booking systems means that locals are losing their public beaches. Famous Italian beaches with booking systems • La Pelosa — Sardinia • Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu — Sardinia • Cala Goloritzé — Sardinia • Cala Violina Cala Goloritzé — Sardinia Tuscany • Spiaggia dei Conigli — Lampedusa • Baia del Silenzio — Italian Riviera • Due Sorelle — Ancona (also known as Two Sisters Beach, this area is protected and only accessible by sea. Therefore, access to the beach and your ferry must be booked in advance.) Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

20 hours ago